Super Bowl XLII Preview, Super Bowl analysis

01/31/2008

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Three points. That's how close the New York Giants came to ending the New England Patriots' perfect season on December 29. After enduring relentless criticism all year, Eli Manning was magnificent against the Pats, going 22-32 for 251 yards and four touchdowns. But it wasn't enough. Tom Brady threw for 356 yards while connecting with Randy Moss for two touchdowns, the second of which sent both Moss and Brady into the record books, and New England prevailed 38-35. History was made.

And now, five weeks later, the two teams meet again with history on the line: 19-0. The Patriots seem unbeatable heading into Super Bowl XLII, but the Giants know better. Manning has ridden the momentum from his Week 17 performance through the playoffs, playing nearly flawless football while leading his team to three-straight road wins. Will the Giants benefit from having played (and nearly beaten) the Pats so recently, or will Brady and Bill Belichick lead their team to immortality?

SUPER BOWL PREVIEW

3 reasons the Patriots/Giants will win Nobody knows how Super Bowl XLII will play out on the field, but Anthony Stalter has three reasons why the Patriots will win. John Paulsen, meanwhile, has his own three reasons why the Giants will win. At least one of them will be right.

David vs. Goliath? Not so fast According to some people, the Giants don't have a prayer Sunday, but Anthony says those people are underestimating New York's defense and a quickly maturing Eli Manning.

How did Tom Brady get so good? From All-Big Ten honorable mention to sixth-round draft pick...to three-time Super Bowl champ, NFL MVP and consideration as the best quarterback to ever play the game? John digs deeper to find out how Tom Brady turned his career around.

The many faces of Bill Belichick You'll get no argument from us: Bill Belichick is a football genius. He's also easy to make fun of.

Fox interviews John sat in on an interview with Fox's Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson to discuss the Patriots' place in history, and Anthony chatted with Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, who will be calling the game Sunday. Check out transcriptions of both interviews at The Scores Report.